Just after 11 am this morning, MSNBC host Alex Witt put a full screen slide up as a handy visual aide for talking about the potential problems with Baucus' industry giveaway bill, "some of the details of concerns of Republicans," as she read each bullet point through. Emphasis mine:
Baucus Plan: GOP Concerns
- How to pay for Medicaid expansion
- Taxpayer funding for abortion services
- Medical malpractice lawsuits
- Subsidies for illegal immigrants
"I mean, these are GOP concerns. Is this going to be enough to stall this bill," Witt asked Eamon Javers when she was done reading her talking points. Javers then focused entirely on the horsetrading aspects of the health care fight and the segment was quickly ended.
When Rep. Joe Wilson called Obama a liar during the speech last week, I thought the worse behavior by far was the rush the following day by Senators Conrad and Baucus to yet more emphatically exclude the already excluded undocumented immigrants. Conrad and Baucus might as well have stood up after Wilson and said, "He's got a point!"
After getting a great response like that, Republicans not only refused to back off the bogus 'concerns' that the bill spends money on abortion and medical care for non-citizens, they're passing them on to their media repeating stations as though last week didn't even happen.
I look forward to hearing the latest explanation from our dear leaders as to why they're continuing to negotiate with Republicans instead of with progressive members of their own caucus. Have them explain why they keep meeting Republican demands when they don't even get credit for doing so, either from Republicans or from the media. It'll be a fascinating exercise in delusion.
Meanwhile, in the real world ... Health premiums are going to rise about 10 percent in Massachusetts over the next year. A study by Families USA shows that Texans have faced premiums rising four and a half times faster than earnings since 2000, while Washington State residents have seen premium costs rise 5.3 times faster than their paychecks. Nationwide, premiums have increased by 5 percent in 2009, outpacing inflation as the rest of the economy has contracted.
If only real problems were as important as groveling at President Snowe's feet, someone might be able to do something to help.
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